. >> reporter: in yucca valley, california, bonnie hughes lost her teaching job just as matthew's hours were cut back. now they're losing their home, their car, their insurance, and struggling to feed their three kids. >> we got to feed the kids. we got to pay the bills. what is more important? bill collectors were calling. >> reporter: the hughes and weavers are hardly alone. this week the census bureau reported that 46.2 million americans lived below the poverty line last year. that's $23,314 for a family of four. 22% of children are now living in poverty. 22%. among hispanic kids it's 37%. and 40% of african-american children are living in poverty. >> our nation has aroused the hopes of the poor. >> reporter: it was 50 years ago that sergeant shriver led president johnson's war on poverty. today his son, mark, runs save the children in the u.s. >> it means not having enough food to eat every week. it means going to food pantries, going to the church and begging for food at times. >> we made $42 too much to get on foodstamps. >> reporter: for the hughes and the weavers -- >> with ever